


pauldron strap

by Shantae



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi | Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Genre: M/M, uhm dieck has some flashbacks that like mention torture but not explicitly state it?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 07:12:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7675024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shantae/pseuds/Shantae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dieck always gets caught up in the battle and Rutger hates it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pauldron strap

**Author's Note:**

> i saw this in my drafts with like only 5-6 sentences and i cracked my knuckles and said Ok shantae time to make this gay
> 
> OK SO originally i was going to switch these around? cuz i can imagine rutger just not stopping when killing bernese soldiers. but then i thought But What If It's Reversed? and then this happened
> 
> thank you deniz for telling me what a pauldron is i love it

Dieck’s sword clashed with that of one of the enemy's mercenaries. He smirked at Dieck, who in response kicked his knee and then, in his moment of weakness, swiftly beheaded him. Enemies shouldn't get cocky with him.

He stepped back and looked around to see if anyone needed his aid, but to his surprise he saw that his allies were nowhere to be seen. Seems like he got too carried away again and fought his way far ahead. He sighed and mentally kicked himself. Damn it. He just couldn't help going up in the moment.

He dragged himself back to the others, not wanting to part even further from them. He looked up at the sky and pondered. Last time Dieck had gotten too caught up in the battle and lost the others he had gotten an earful from Rutger. Rutger had yelled about how he was an idiot, how he should care more about himself and his life, how he wasn't invisible and how one day the enemy was going to kill him and Rutger was going to kill him too for daring to be killed by a Bernese. Dieck couldn't suppress a smile when thinking about the last part. It was just so Rutger.

Dieck had been noticing more things about Rutger lately, both in battle and around camp. The first thing he had noticed that Rutger was very observant. He always seemed to know where everyone was on the battlefield, and never lost anyone out of his eyesight, foe or ally. Dieck didn't know if it was because he distrusted them or because he secretly did care. It was at least soothing to know that there was someone watching over them. Well, not anymore now that Dieck had solo’d his way all over to god-knows-where, but it still calmed his heart knowing that there was at least someone else than him making sure everyone stayed safe.

Another thing he had noticed was that Rutger tolerated very few people, and that Clarine was strangely enough one of those people. Clarine, who was loud, arrogant yet caring and very ‘lady-like’, and Rutger who hated all of those things and also people in general. Dieck didn't know what was going on between those two, but he swore he had seen Rutger smile in her presence. The man even let her braid his hair. Multiple times. Not that Dieck minded it much, though. He looked very good in a ponytail or braid.

That brought him to another thing. Rutger was extremely bad at taking compliments regarding his appearance. Clarine had once told him that he looked handsome, and all he did was give her a sad smile. Maybe Rutger thought it wasn't true. That would be a shame, because Dieck thought he was handsome. Like, really handsome. The pretty kind of handsome. He was really pretty, after all. Dieck hated to admit it, but sometimes he got distracted in battle because of -

If the cavalier wasn't so bad at throwing, and if Dieck didn't have lightning reflexes, there would have been a javelin bored in his skull at the place his eye was currently sitting.

In front of him were at least 4 enemy cavaliers and an armor knight. Dieck drew his iron blade and inwardly cursed himself for getting distracted by thinking about how he gets distracted in battle because of Rutger. He was an idiot.

He charged, and took down two of the cavaliers with ease. The armor knight was strong but slow, and wasn't capable of landing a single hit on Dieck. Feeling sorry for the poor guy, Dieck unsheathed his armorslayer and ended the poor man’s misery in one strike. Only two more cavaliers to go.

One of the cavaliers charged at him, which was a stupid mistake. Dieck grabbed his lance with both his hands and threw the cavalier off of his horse, only to pin him to the ground with his own lance. The other cavalier, the one who had just tried to pierce his head, had charged at him as well, with a silver lance no less. Dieck blocked his attack with his iron blade, and the two engaged in a duel.

Blocking another attack, Dieck saw something, or rather someone in the corner of his eyes. It was a mage, and it seemed like they were readying a spell, ready to fry Dieck.  
Now, there wasn't much he could do in this situation.

He could run at the mage, but he doubted he'd be able to make it in time. Besides, going after the mage meant abandoning the cavalier, which would let him strike Dieck from the back or even worse, run back to the castle. And after the javelin stunt he pulled, Dieck kind of really wanted to kill this guy. He was sure his body would be able to take a hit from the mage. Deep fried or not, Dieck wouldn't let the cavalier get away.

He strengthened his attacks hoping to break the lance. This was kind of stupid, he realised later, considering this is a silver lance we're speaking of, but right now Dieck was determined he could. Suddenly, he saw a flash of red to the right, and as sudden as the mage had appeared they were gone again. He wasn't the only one who noticed. The cavalier looked up, confused. Dieck used this perfect opportunity to slide under the horse, cutting open its stomach while doing so. While the poor beast collapsed, Dieck slashed open the back of the cavalier, whose agonising scream was quickly cut off by another slash at his neck.

War was hell.

Dieck hated it.

He sheathed his sword and looked at the mess before him. How many lifes had been lost? How many more would have to die? He had learned to live with it - this was his job after all - but that didn't mean it made it any less ridiculous. He wondered how many of the people he had killed were actually innocent people who were being forced to fight for Zephiel.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted when he felt something yank the strap of his pauldron. Hard. He had kind of forgotten about the mage that had suddenly appeared and disappeared, but he quickly realised that the brown haired, angry looking man that was forcefully pushing him forward was nothing like the mage he had seen earlier.

“What. The fuck. Do you think. You're doing?!” The man hissed.

Dieck wanted the mage back.

“Nice to see you too, Rutger.”

“You could've died out there!” Rutger pushed him away with force, letting go of him. Dieck had to do his best not to topple over at the sudden force. The slim man was stronger than he looked. “If I wasn't there to save your ass you would've been roasted!”

“Calm down. You're exaggerating. I would've gone for the mage after I had taken down the cavalier.”

“Oh yes, because after that surely no more enemies would appear, and you certainly wouldn't run out of vulneraries. Do you even have some with you? I bet you don't.” Rutger folded his arms, jaws clenched. He looked even more pissed off than normal.

“For the record,” Dieck said, searching through his pockets and proudly revealing two vulneraries, “I have two with me, thank you very much. And if there were more enemies, why haven't they appeared now?”

“Because I took them all out when I saw them going this way. And guess what I found? You, fighting against an enormous group of enemies on his own.”

Oh. Oops?

Dieck groaned. He felt like he was getting a lecture. “Okay, well, thank you for that. But listen. I’m a mercenary hired by this army, and so are you. We give our lifes for this war. That's our job.”

Rutger stepped forward, eyes shooting daggers. “It is NOT your job to leave everyone, fight ahead on your god damn own and then die because of your stupidity.”

“I got a little caught up in the fight.”

“You got a little caught up in the fight.”

Dieck wished an enemy would just come attack them so they could drop this stupid argument and forget about it. “I thought you of all people would understand.” Then it hit him. “Why do you even care?”

Something in Rutger’s eyes changed. He looked to the side. “Because I give a shit about you, Dieck. Unlike you, obviously.”

Oh, this was gold. Dieck couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You… You're telling me that Rutger, the man who hates basically everything on this world, cares about me?” If he wasn't so afraid of Rutger cutting him in half right where he stood, he would've laughed.

“Yes. Yes, Dieck, I care about you. But you clearly don't.” Rutger still had his arms folded. He looked Dieck right in the eyes. “I don't know if it is because you truly don't care about your life, or because you think you're invincible and the enemy won't get you no matter what, but I want it to stop. Now.”

Did he not care about his life? Dieck didn't think that was the case. After all, if he didn't, he wouldn't keep on fighting and struggling in this damned war. Did he think he was invincible to the enemy? Maybe a bit, but he would be the first one to say after today's experiences that he was certainly not. He just liked the rush of being in a fight, being able to fend off so many people on his own. It reminded him that he was strong, he was free, he was able to fight back, he was no longer down there in that basement where he never felt like he had enough air and where it felt like bugs were always crawling on him, though that could’ve been true. Back in the basement where they were smiling upon him, a smile that was way too calm for the situation he was in. Back in the basement where he asked them, begged them to kill him, to just end his life, because why couldn't he just have died in the fight like his friends--

“Hey… You alright? ...Dieck?”

He didn't want to feel trapped again.

Dieck scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry. You were saying…?”

Rutger didn't look like he bought it, but he didn't push it. “...Promise me you won't die out here. Actually, promise me you won't fight all on your own, either.”

“I'll try my best, but you know I can't go against orders. If my orders are to fight on my own then so be it.”

“Why can't you just follow my orders?”

“I don't see you paying me.” Besides, what if Rutger made him do some weird shit, like… No, nevermind. That's something Lot and Wade would do.

“...But what if I did?”

“Wha--”

Once again he was yanked forward by the strap of his pauldron, but this time it was used to crush his lips together with that of Rutger’s.

If you had told Dieck yesterday that Rutger would kiss him he would've have laughed in your face. Except this was reality and his mouth was a little too occupied to laugh.

Rutger let go of him and stepped back, slight blush on his face. “That, will be your payment.”

Dieck smirked. “I'd like my payment in advance please.”

Rutger huffed and pushed his shoulder lightly. “We're in the middle of a battle, idiot. Wait until we've at least sized the castle. Besides, kissing next to corpses isn't really sexy.”

Dieck couldn't agree more. They slowly made their way back to the rest of the army, looking out for any enemies that could be hiding in an ambush.

“...So you care about me, huh.”

“...Shut up.”

“Make me.”

As he was pulled forward by the strap of his pauldron for the third time today, he made a mental note to never ever take the damn thing off.

**Author's Note:**

> I LOVE MY GAY DADS


End file.
